Challenges in Death Registration and Usability of Civil Registration System Data in India: A Community-Based and Meta-Analytic Study

Nandita Saikia, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
T R Dilip, IIPS
Kauslendra Kumar, IIPS
Pratik Neve, IIPS
Indrajit Goswami, International Institute for Population Sciences
Mamta Gupta, Alchemist Research and Data Analysis

The study has two primary goals: (1) to document community experiences and challenges related to death registration in the Civil Registration System (CRS) and (2) to examine the major barriers to the usability of CRS death data in India. To address the first objective, we conducted qualitative survey in 2023 in Assam, Kerala, and Maharashtra. Data collection involved 23 key informant interviews and 15 focus group discussions with community members. For the second objective, we performed a meta-analysis of publicly available CRS death reports. The community-level analysis revealed seven key themes that capture the functioning of the CRS: (1) availability of community support and assistance, (2) access to registration facilities, (3) inefficiencies and systemic barriers, (4) low awareness and insufficient knowledge (5) purpose and motivation, (6) gender dynamics, and (7) suggested improvements for the system. From the meta-analysis of CRS data, we identified: (1) structural weaknesses in the CRS, (2) incomplete death registration coverage, (3) delayed registration processes, (4) inconsistent availability of age-sex data, and (5) methodological challenges in calculating exposed population for states/districts. This study highlights multi-faceted challenges at both community and structural levels, underscoring the need for targeted improvements in death registration processes and data usability in India.

Keywords: Mortality and Longevity, Data and Methods, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Health and Morbidity

See extended abstract.